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ADD2386 Good Growth Public Space Research and Guidance Study

Key information

Decision type: Assistant Director

Reference code: ADD2386

Date signed:

Decision by: Patrick Dubeck (Past staff), Head of Regeneration

Executive summary

This paper seeks approval for up to £50,000 of revenue funding from the Good Growth Fund (GGF) to be used to commission a research and guidance study to inform future public space commissions and GGF applications that meet the new definitions of public realm in the London Plan. The commission will be delivered as part of the Good Growth by Design research programme.

The study will examine the types of spaces that fulfil the broadened public realm definition of the London Plan (policy D7) and create guidance for commissioners and designers to inform future funding bids, public space designs, planning applications and commissions.

The commission will be a standalone piece of work with a value up to £50,000 to be funded from the Good Growth Fund Development Funding Budget.

Decision

That the Head of Regeneration approves expenditure of up to £50,000 on external services to undertake the Public Space Research and Guidance Study.

Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice

MD2163 (November 2017) approved up to £6.088m in revenue support funding for the Good Growth Fund (GGF). GGF revenue support funding is targeted to build a balanced programme with the specific aim of ensuring that the range of objectives set out in the prospectus are achieved across London’s geography. Three categories of support are offered to support the development of a balanced programme and this research will sit under (b) Research and Evidence base:

a) Development Funding - to provide GGF applicants with support in meeting their project design and development costs including feasibility, viability, business planning and commercial/property advice to demonstrate need, improve quality and shape and influence the delivery of targeted outcomes, with a view to submitting a full future funding bid. This assists in the delivery of a balanced programme and assists with providing a pipeline of good projects;

b) Research and Evidence base - to support a series of research commissions which inform and influence the direction and emphasis of funding calls over the lifetime of the programme;

c) Due Diligence — to support the GLA in undertaking technical assessment of grant funding and loan applications. This will include advice on property, valuation, cost/value for money and sustainability.

This research will inform the evidence base for the Good Growth Fund actions of developing civic infrastructure, enhancing public space and sharing culture and will align with funding ambitions to promote quality and inclusion in the built environment, supporting the role of good design in an increasingly dense city.

In the new London Plan, the definition of public realm has expanded to include a broad range of public space typologies some of which are new additions to those identified in the current plan. Examples of these are sky gardens, viewing platforms, shopping malls, museums or stations concourses. It states that these forms of public realm are particularly relevant in areas of higher density and in an increasingly dense city putting pressures on the provision of public spaces, there is a need to ensure that these newly defined spaces are as free, accessible, open, safe and inclusive as ‘traditional’ or previously defined public realm.

Currently, there is little guidance existing for GGF applicants, developers or commissioners of these new public spaces, and limited research about the impacts of these in relation to accessibility and inclusivity. For design professionals there is also no design guidance or overarching principles to inform the design and design process of delivering these spaces. To ensure quality and alignment with the London Plan definitions and the GGF actions, this research will provide design guidelines and case study precedents to inform these new prominent places.

This commission will demonstrate the value of these spaces and the qualitative and quantitative additionality brought to the public realm provision, both at local level as well to London overall. It will examine in more detail the types of spaces that fulfil the broadened public realm definition in the new London Plan as well as create guidance for commissioners and designers.

This commission will build upon related agendas under the Good Growth by Design (GGbD) inquiry regarding the Public London Charter to ensure that all new public space will be open, free to use and offer the highest level of public access, and that only those rules considered essential for safe management of the space will apply.

It is anticipated that the methodology, format and dissemination of this research will be further developed with the chosen consultants.

The total budget for this work is £50,000 as a one-off investment. The GLA will undertake a procurement exercise to appoint consultants to deliver the study.

The research aims to develop the following:

• inform the evidence base for the GGF actions of developing civic infrastructure, enhancing public space and sharing culture and align with funding ambitions to promote quality and inclusion in the built environment, supporting the role of good design in an increasingly dense city;
• reveal and further understand emerging issues regarding public realm and accessibility with particular focus on the newly categorised spaces to ensure delivery partners, local authorities and the GLA work with an agreed and shared understanding of the public benefits these spaces can accrue;
• support innovative models of design and delivery that ensure all public space is inclusive and offers the highest level of public access;
• provide design and commissioning principles for the delivery of newly categorised public spaces that reflect the changing diversity and intensification of London; and
• provide guidance to help asses, steer and support relevant GGF bids and to assist applicants with designs and proposals.

The strategic outcomes of the research are as follows:

• increased support for the delivery of more innovative and inclusive public space projects which help deliver the Mayor’s vision for good growth and deliver against the GGF objectives;
• enhanced public space provision in an increasingly dense city, which responds to the definitions of the London Plan and objectives of the GGF;
• increased awareness of new public space typologies and the context of commercial viability maximisation in new developments;
• improved public space provision and opportunities at both borough and London-wide level through increased guidance regarding newly defined public spaces.

As recognised in the draft new London Plan and the GGF regeneration programme, all public space should be inclusive and accessible to all Londoners. This research aims to ensure that the newly categorised spaces coming forward are reaching this requirement and will provide guidance to inform this.

It will provide guidelines on the implications of the diverse physical constraints of these new spaces (such as increased security or physical barriers) and assess their effect on how they function as safe, accessible and inclusive spaces. There is alignment with the concurrent social infrastructure research which has specific social integration and equalities policy focus which will inform the research for this commission.

The sounding board brought together to guide this project will include both Mayor’s Design Advocates as well as experts from the field of public realm, providing particular guidance on the inclusion and consideration of groups protected by the Equality Act in the research and recommendations.

Appointed consultants will be expected to uphold the Equality responsibilities of the GLA, and these expectations will be set out in the brief. External engagement activities delivered (e.g. interviews, workshops) will endeavour to secure involvement of diverse stakeholders, including a consideration of groups protected by the Equality Act.

All published outputs will be available in accessible formats.

This expenditure was endorsed by the LEAP Programme Board on 12th September 2019.

The nature of this commission requires access to and information regarding existing examples of the newly categorised public spaces. There is a risk that there is little data existing to support the aims of this study, therefore as part of the brief there will be capacity for consultants to create a baseline research set about these spaces to inform the guidance.

Due to the changing nature of the built environment and the design ambitions of public realm, there is a risk that the guidance created as part of this study becomes out of date. By monitoring this throughout the project to regularly assess updates relating to any new spaces that are delivered, the guidance will stay abreast of the most recent built examples. Regular involvement of the MDA sounding board will also ensure up-to-date sector knowledge and future proofing is considered appropriately.

There are links with other Mayoral strategies and priorities such:

• The draft London Plan which establishes a new policy framework for public spaces to address some of the challenges they face. The draft new London Plan proposes measures of support through the planning system and supports the diversification of uses and types of public space.

• The Good Growth Fund which funds public ream delivery. The research will support how the ‘enhance public space’ strategy of the GGF is assessed and delivered through the fund. It will inform the evidence base for the GGF actions of developing civic infrastructure, enhancing public space and sharing culture and will align with funding ambitions to promote quality and inclusion in the built environment, supporting the role of good design in an increasingly dense city.

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

This decision seeks approval to utilise up to £50,000 of the allocated £6.088m of revenue funding for the Good Growth Fund which was received in 2017/18 (MD2163).

This one-off expenditure will be used to commission a research and guidance study for the Good Growth Fund applicants and highlight necessary actions to further build the programme.

The 2019/20 Good Growth Funding Development budget will fund this piece of work.

Activity

Timeline

Brief written

November 2019

Procurement of contract

November 2019

Interviews, contract and inception meeting

December 2019

Methodology presentation (review proposed research methodology)

December 2019

Interim presentation 1 (review case studies, definitions, typologies)

January 2020

Interim presentation 2 (review design and commissioning guidance)

March 2020

Project Closure

April 2020

Signed decision document

ADD2386 Public space research and guidance - SIGNED

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